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Our Daily Thread 2-8-14

Good Morning!

The weekend has arrived!

On this day in 1693 a charter was granted for the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA.

In 1802 Simon Willard patented the banjo clock.

In 1861 The Confederate States of America was formed.

In 1910 William D. Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of America.

In 1918 “The Stars and Stripes” newspaper was published for the first time.

And in 1973 U.S. Senate leaders named seven members of a select committee to investigate the Watergate scandal.

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Quote of the Day

“I am tired and sick of war. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, for vengeance, for desolation. War is hell.”

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Today is composer John Williams’ birthday. If you’re a movie fan, you’ll recognize his work.

And on today’s date in 1965 this song was released as a single.

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Anyone have a QoD?

126 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 2-8-14”

  1. It’s a bit late to be first!
    Sherman made war hell for lots of people. Total destruction that wasn’t necessary in many cases. Of course, that was true about much of the bombing on both sides in WW II.

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  6. So far this Women’s Retreat has been a lot harder for me than even I thought. I somewhat knew what the subject matter would be, but it digs in a little. It is all about what was going on with Eve that opened that little crack so the serpent could tempt her. What happens in our own lives that makes us suseptable to evil? What are we lacking? Some things to share…
    1. Have you ever thought of desires as hunger?
    2. What is the distinction between a good and bad desire?
    3. Do you see yourself on a journey?
    4. Is there a difference between a journey and an exploration
    5. What scares you most, unanswered hunger or exile?

    MEN PAY ATTENTION! The author of the book makes a comment that, “It is a short journey from a wanting woman to a wanton woman”. (Wanton carries one main definition, but can and does include others)

    I am just tossing these out there because I don’t know the answers either. Last night we wrote our prayers on paper “balloons” that were supposed to float up and finally burn up. Those that went up were very pretty in the night sky. Mine crashed and drowned in the Bay.

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  7. What does “wanting” woman to “wanton” woman have to do with men?
    Is it about satisfying some undetermined longing? Does the concept of “It wasn’t God who made honkey tonk angels” enter into this? Most men want to please their women. If they know what they want. “You should have known, doesn’t count’

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  8. It seems to me, that you have a female list, Kim. Desire and hunger are different types of things. Hunger calls attention to a need. Desire is something you want.
    I could see myself on a journey, but haven’t thought much about it. A journey has a specific goal. I once had that, but it didn’t work out, so I started down this road and went where it took me. It worked out so far.

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  9. The fault is that bytheir very nature women take care of everyone but themselves and squash their wants down. Over time they become resentful, and a little crack appears and Satan rushes in. Eventually the crack becomes larger and some sort of sin happens. Nature hates a void and if we don’t fill it with something good, Satan is more than happy to fill it with something bad.

    Like I said, yesterday was a very difficult day for me. I tried my best to hide out in the kitchen for some of it, but I couldn’t. Just tossing out questions for thoughts and opinions. I have to run now. I am helping with breakfast and we get started around 8am. I will be there until 6 tonight. Maybe I will know more then.

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  10. The journey’s end is heaven. I think all currently on this blog are fellow journey friends.

    Yes, Kim, I am that one who has suppressed needs because other’s needs seemed more pressing. It is difficult not to let resentment enter in. When I feel that happening I act to “shoo” it away. Most of the time I am successful.

    Hunger is better than exile.
    Exile could mean separation from family and friends or worse separation from God. Unresolved hunger can be relieved by turning it over to God and trusting in Him to supernaturally supply for needs. He shows He is able by giving us His word in the Bible that He does such things.

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  11. In a journey, you know where you’re going. When exploring you enter not knowing what you’ll find. You may have an objective, but it’s usually poorly defined. Exploring in life is usually not recommended because you can get on the wrong track and not realize it until you’re in trouble. You usually need some guidance when going into uncharted territory. I’ve never had reliable guidance in life, but I’ve almost always had a map. And I was usually perceptive enough to watch people who had been there.

    We went out to breakfast this morning. The Storehouse is having a pancake breakfast fundraiser. We like to support fundraisers. They serve good meals, it’s for a good cause, and you meet some nice people you ordinarily don’t meet. Storehouse provides food for needy people.

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  13. So Chas, I assume you have the trustworthy map of the Bible. When you get to a fork in the road you remember or search out which way to go bssed on His guidance. He is leading us on the journey to our true home. For a journey, a map may be plotted out, but there may be unforeseen detours along thr way. Good thing to engage the services of a Master tour guide for the journey. 🙂

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  14. Good morning! Happy Birthday, Jo!

    I’m behind on here, I feel like I don’t know what’s going on with you all. I’ll probably get caught up about the time we’re due for our next media-fast day (Thursday), and then I’ll promptly be behind again. 😉 We’ve had some good, productive days around home, though, planning and doing new activities. Life’s been good.

    Have a great weekend! 🙂

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  15. The journey’s end is heaven, but I think I’m exploring as I go.

    Exploring to me means being open to what comes along, being willing to change direction if it makes sense, and using the guidebook I’ve been given even as I consider new vistas and frontiers.

    So, I guess I’m arguing both ways. (no surprises) 🙂

    As to wanting/wanton women, marriage needs to be a mutual looking out for each other. Life has many challenges along the way and we’re to be two as one.

    I spent a lot of time trying to figure out what my husband needed, while resenting when he didn’t ask me (or better yet, figure it out without asking me) about my needs. In my case it often was for physical help with the children, or certainly a break so even I could go off and be an introvert from time to time.

    That built up a lot of resentment because it felt unbalanced. Of course, I wasn’t going off to work with him every day and seeing all he was doing so I could stay home and manage the aforementioned children.

    The word wanton, of course, has the unsavory notion, but to me it also speaks of capricious selfishness pushed to an extreme of “I want this, my way, right now, and I don’t care what you want. Just let me out of here!”

    I’ve been driven there . . . 😦

    What’s the name of the book, Kim?

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  16. Hmm, I have more of a problem NOT quashing my wants for others. It is something I work on daily – I tend to be quite selfish and want things my way. This is as large of a problem as the opposite of always giving, giving, giving, however, there is no reward for being selfish as there can be for being selfless. We are all, men and women, instructed to put others before ourselves.

    Kim, I know God heard your prayers, whether the ballon did what it was supposed to or not. He doesn’t need that, but sometimes we like the symbolism. As long as we realize it is only symbolism and that we can talk to Him anytime about anything. And I’m sure that you do. 🙂

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  17. I don’t really enjoy women’s retreats. I often feel manipulated to feel certain ways, ultimately ending in a cry fest. My old church had ladies’ retreats where we just got together and played games and got to know one another, went for hikes, canoeing etc. Or some would bring crafts or art they were working on and spend some uninterrupted (by kids) time on their project. We’d divide into groups and cook our own food for one meal and other than that, we did what we felt like. We had morning and evening devotionals with some singing, but they were short and sweet. Some of the best weekends of my life. It was good to get away from home and just spend some time with friends and to make new friends.

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  20. Funny how life works. I was reading about Kim’s retreat and thinking, “I’d like to go on a women’s retreat again, but not one where they sit around making jokes, doing crafts and kvetch. I need one where I reflect on my life away from every day things and really listen to what God is saying!”

    I probably need to spend a weekend at a monastery without Wi-fi . . .

    But an organized reading and reflection weekend would be healthy.

    Of course, what I really need to do is buckle down and write my book, old Oswald Chambers and me should produce something! 🙂

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  21. Kare, I too prefer the women’s retreats that are simply retreats. My church in Chicago did one of those once. We had group devotionals in the evening, but otherwise we just had time to be together, or to go outside and be alone. Each of us had an assigned group that was responsible for one meal, bringing the food for it and preparing it, but otherwise no given duties, and no speaker. One other women’s retreat I attended was just about the worst weekend of my life (after I took two of my scant days off to attend it), and another one had really horrid moments to it; most have been so-so. But that one was excellent.

    Years ago, when I was a year or two out of college, just about every woman in my life was the exact same age, all 19 years older than I. My boss, the professor who had stayed in my life as a friend, my pastor’s wife, a woman or two at church I’d grown close to, and I think maybe a landlady too. But I was surrounded by these women a generation older than I. One by one, each one told me casually, “I’ve been giving and giving all these years, and this is my year to stop it and just focus on me.” And it occurred to me they didn’t know what they were saying, and they also had no idea I was hearing it from everyone all at once. (They weren’t saying it “to me” as in wanting to tell me I was too needy; it was just casual.) But the cumulative effect was that here I was, a young woman far from any family (the closest sibling was in Georgia, my mother was in Arizona), recently graduated from college and trying to get my footing in a new career, figuring out life in a city I really didn’t like all that much with weather I hated, and all the women who could have mentored me were saying, “I’d rather focus on myself.”

    It was a caution to me never to do that myself. I’m like Kare, no risk that I will focus so much on others I won’t have enough time for myself (I have never known such a person IRL, actually–even the busiest women I know have their opportunity to participate in things they enjoy, not to mention they enjoy caring for others), but I could forget about some of the people who need me and whom God has placed into my life. Being an “older woman” to the next generation is such an important part of the Christian life.

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  24. (Second half of yesterday’s beginning) Birthday, Jo!

    Chas- I see the difference between a “wanting woman” to a “wanton woman” as this: the wanting woman desires to follow God’s plan for her as a wife and helper to one man for life. The wanton woman only desires carnal pleasure from any man willing to give it.

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  26. I suspect they are talking about a wanting woman as being the one who is not getting her needs met at home and then starts looking. But I don’t know, I don’t attend women’s retreats.

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  27. Sign me up for the monastery.

    I’ve also been on retreats that seem too structured and, yes, manipulative. I like plenty of down time but not *only* down time, it’s nice to have some structure/direction for reading, prayer and study. I’ve never been to our women’s retreat for our denomination here, but they often have very good speakers (and it also often snows, it’s held in our local mountains around March/April I think).

    And like Kare, I don’t have to worry about putting others first, my tendency is the opposite and I do struggle with that as well. I think it goes against much of our fallen & common human nature to consider ourselves last behind others’ needs.

    As for temptation, Kim is right about the need to be in the Word and to maintain an active focus on God. Just resisting or avoiding a particular temptation may keep us from actively doing something stupid or hurtful, but it also leaves a void if we’re not filling it with something positive and God-focused, like the house that was swept “clean.”

    An excellent book on the subject of temptation, by the way, is “Tempted and Tried: Temptation and the Triumph of Christ” by Russell Moore. From a review by Tim Challies about why the book is an important one for all Christians:

    ” … we will all be tempted and we do well to learn how to identify and how to overcome temptation. … temptation is not a sin. There is great comfort in knowing that temptation is universal and not necessarily a sign of a sinful life. …”

    http://www.challies.com/book-reviews/tempted-and-tried

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  30. I agree with Mumsee.

    As to Cheryl’s situation, if I’m doing the math correctly, the women you were looking to were 40ish. That was the worst time in my life in terms of pressures and needing an extra hand. If they were like me, so many others were pulling on them, there simply wasn’t enough interior space to give any more.

    I’m having a lot more affect on 20 and 30-somethings now that my life is not so overflowing with kid responsibilities.During the years I was doing two loads of laundry a day, cooking food continually and driving, I seldom knew when I was coming or going.

    I managed to carve out alone hours by trading child care. During those precious five hours a week, I did my Bible study prep, Cub scout prep and genealogical research. All my socializing was done between 7-8 am when I pushed my child in a stroller and walked the neighborhood with my friend whose life was just as wild with the same types of children.

    When I think about women doing all the above AND working a job, my head spins. I simply cannot imagine how it gets done with any sort of meaningful family life. We cut out all after-school activities except scouts because it was just too madcap. I decided dinner together as a family was more important than sports.

    (Members of my family thought me crazy and selfish. They, of course, had two drivers . . . Maybe I was, since my nephew is now the goalkeeper for the world champion Kansas City Sporting soccer team . . . 🙂 What can I say? I thought dinner more important!)

    I was a wanting woman in those days. Perhaps this post explains: http://wp.me/p3HcoH-sZ

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  31. I recognized all those movie themes of John Williams’, but the only one I’ve actually seen is ‘Star Wars’. The classical station I grew up with used to play the themes, especially on Saturdays, so it was a fun way to begin the weekend.

    On the list of questions: They are a bit rhetorical, almost like they want to shape a woman’s response in a certain direction. The direct answer is not what is wanted. So here are my direct answers.
    1. Hunger has long been synonymous with desire in certain contexts. We speak of someone being “hungry for love”; even the Bible uses hunger as a metaphor for desire: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness…” (Matthew 5:6)
    2. A good desire seeks the will of God, a bad desire seeks to satisfy our fleshly lusts (See Psalm 37:4, James 4:2-3).
    3. The Christian walk is described as a journey, among other metaphors (Matthew 7:13-14).
    4. Yes, a journey has a set route and destination, an exploration seeks to find a new route and the destination is unknown.
    5. What kind of a question is that? To put it in synonymous terms – Do you prefer to starve or be banned from the country? The alternatives are not balanced, and the metaphor of ‘unanswered hunger’ is decidedly mixed.

    I am only going by I read here, but it sounds to me like another feminist cry to remove-suppression-of-woman’s-self cloaked in Christianese. Last year, there were days when there was no time to do what I would like to do. I had a phrase that I would tell myself whenever I started to feel sorry for myself, “It’s not about you.” I am like Kare’s description, naturally very selfish and I have to fight that impulse tooth and nail. I learned that God would give me the times of rest I needed, but – and this really was driven home when I got so sick – I needed to be willing to go to lose everything that was ‘mine’. I am not the stuff of martyrs, by any means, but I keep going forward, in His strength.

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  32. I know I have heard that theory a lot in recent years; the one about us not thinking enough about our needs, but only others. It is the subject of “The Giving Tree,” I believe. I have never really been able to square it with the bible, however. I cannot imagine Jesus thinking this way or any of his disciples. I cannot imagine the prophets of old thinking that way.

    I think of the widow (in the OT) who gave her last to feed a prophet. God was good and rewarded her with food to sustain her and her son. I think of the widow (in the NT) who was commended, although she gave her last bit of money. I think most about Jesus and all he gave.

    I don’t doubt we can become resentful. For example, michelle, brings up a common way that many of us can feel at different points. Whether it is from a difference between male and female, a stage of life, wrong expectations on someone’s part, or many other things, it can lead to sin. We sure have a lot of scripture to warn us about harboring malice, resentment, anger etc. I think it is good to help each other with that. That all pertains to men as well, but it manifests in different ways.

    It is good to discuss all these things. We also need to realize our tendency to rationalize everything, including our motives. Often what we think is for others is really for ourselves. Sometimes the ‘others’ don’t even want what we insist they have. That may be necessary sometimes for the ‘others’ good, but it may not, too.

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  33. I hadn’t seen michelle or rosuro’s posts before I posted. I was thinking along those lines. It is very important to teach men not to be selfish as much as we do women, btw. We all need to hear that.

    The goal is necessary. The road map is too.

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  34. Well said Kathaleena & roscuro. I think our natural tendency as fallen creatures is to think of ourselves first. And how often I find myself inwardly grumbling when people or circumstances turn ‘my’ world or plans upside down. 😦 We can so easily go through the “right” motions of serving others while inwardly resenting it. 😦 Ugh.

    OK, time for some creepy comic relief. This is horrifying — but is weirdly mesmerizing at the same time.

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  35. I tend to think only of myself and I certainly don’t need anybody telling me to do it more. Instead, I need to be aware, as Kim is learning, of where the cracks are and when they start. What triggers them. And practice fleeing from the enemy and planning ahead. Similar to knowing a weakness for candy and not going to where candy is rather than saying, I need more candy so I won’t crave it.

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  39. Wow! A dog eating in Mumsee’s house! At least the dog is smart enough to use silverware and not put its snout into the bowl. Yeah. That doesn’t sound like a good idea at Mumsee’s.

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  42. Donna- I haven’t watched the video because our slow connection takes too long. My comment is based on the still picture I see.

    Hey AJ. I have a request. As pretty as the picture is, I am getting tired of seeing snow everywhere I look. So how about a warm weather picture for a few days?

    Thanks for keeping this thing alive, by the way.

    Oh, and I guess several of us get blank screens when we go to comment. Perhaps you should ask WordPress if they are having issues?

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  43. Michelle, the women I am talking about would have all been 45 or so. (I graduated college at 26 and this was within the first couple of years.) Some had one teenager left at home, some were childless or all their children were out of the house. None were in anything like the situation my own mother had at 45, with an infant, a toddler, a preschooler, caring for a few additional children during the day for extra income, and three additional children at home from 10 on up, plus one child in the Army. They were women who had their hard days “behind them” and were now saying, “No more of giving to others for a while. It’s ‘me time.'” And while the sentiment might be understandable, that isn’t how God made us to operate. A sabbath rest, yes, but not extended time “just to focus on me.”

    One thing worth noting about this (specifically your circumstances, Michelle, as well as my mom’s and Mumsee’s): It used to be the case that a woman working hard to meet the needs of her family was part of a community of women doing the same thing. Now, most likely, her female neighbors will be limiting themselves to two children each, raised in daycare. So the women will be off working, or by 45 their kids are grown and gone, and the woman who is in the middle of all this pressure feels very much alone. I think we need community, and our loads are lighter for it.

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  48. I Mumsee’s comment that she didn’t get blue lines nor blank pages prompted me to get out my much disliked laptop. So, here I am.
    The problem is in our browser. I do not get blue lines nor blank pages on this computer. We must have downloaded an “improvement” of some sort.
    I am always skeptical of programmers with improvements. I have seen it too much on Turbotax. But sometimes they get through.
    see I also have my avatar back.

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  50. But you can see that it doesn’t work when I post on this computer.
    It’s certainly in my browser. I’ll have to take it to my computer guruu and have him fix it. Every time I click my mouse, the blank page comes up.
    That’s the reason I haven’t corrected “guru” above

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  51. Considering if when I give, I may be doing it for selfish reasons…hmmm. Something to ponder. I gave financial support and quantity and quality time so son could have best education we could afford. I recognixed he would meet some high quality people who would be on his intellectual level. Given that, I hoped it would help him have a better life than others I knew who got involved early on with people who were bored and looking for and gdtting into all kinds of trouble. So in a sense I guess I was acting selfish in the dense of long term expectations witj no guarantees. That is just one example of how I have given. I think I give for others to have a better life partly so I will not have regrets if things turn out badlly. I can say I have given my best and not feel guilty that perhaps if I had done mote…

    I once read an article by a mom whose son died. She wished she haf been there more for him. I guess I don’t want to deal with “what if” questions. Is that delfish?

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  52. I can get it to work on Google Chrome. But if I go from Daily Thread to Prayer Thread, get an ad, not the different thread. The blue lines are on Chrome. I don’t have my avatar on either, but, as I said, it’s on my laptop. My laptop is AT&T.

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  53. On women’s retreats, WMU Georgia does wonderful women’s retreats with a good balance of speakers, worship music,, classes, alone time, shared meals, and all in a location of natural beauty for anyone who would like to add a few days to the retreat. I have not been disappointed in any aspect of their retreats.

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  54. Last night, they were talking on FoxNews about Jay Leno. Someone said something about comedians having “down’ times, when emotionally they weren’t up to being funny. They said, it effect, they just go out and perform.
    That reminded me when, years ago, they had live radio programs. There was the Bud Abbot and Lou Costello Show. After the show, they announced that one of Costello’s children had drowned in their pool that afternoon.
    I don’t know that I could have done that. But you do what you hafta do.

    I have my avatar on Chrome.

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  56. Chas, my husband is a bit of a stand-up comic in that his brain always thinks of the perfect comeback, so he can do back-and-forth spontaneous humor and keep it going. (I can, too, but not as quickly as he can. But when I see a certain look in his eye, I often know before he says it what his comeback will be. When we were courting, it would amaze both of us that we’d take some joke two or three steps mentally and come out with the same line at the same time, or one of us would come out with a response to what the other one was about to say, more like couples married fifty years than courting couples.) But when he isn’t feeling well or is discouraged, he tends to be able to keep his humor. (He does know when it would be better not to say something out loud.) Perhaps that is at least partly because he knows “this life isn’t all there is” and he can keep perspective. Of course, I personally have not seen him go through the deepest trials, but I have seen him laugh at times I wouldn’t have expected him to be able to.

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  59. How about if each of us sends a “view from our house” to AJ (any season, including winter)? Then he can change the picture every so often and we can all see what our areas are like. That way, I don’t have to imagine the hills around Mumsee, or the Gulf Coast near Kim, etc. Whaddya say, AJ?

    And I just realized I said I was tired of snow and remembered my avatar is a snowy desert scene around Tucson, AZ. Maybe I should change that.

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  60. Peter, how fun! I can see a vacant lot with a big ‘FOR SALE’ banner on the chain link fence from my front door. 🙂 It’s an awesome view. The neighborhood loves the fence and sign, I don’t have to tell you.

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  61. Peter: I think that sounds like a great idea!

    Hubby and I are at our ranchette, alone, for the entire weekend. It’s a combined birthday/early Valentine’s celebration. It is so nice to have uninterrupted conversations and not to have anyone need anything from me! I love my girls desperately, but adult time is good for the soul and my marriage!

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  62. I’ve sent an email to WordPress to see if there’s a known issue. I’m not having any in any of my browsers, Chrome, EI, or FireFox. I’ll let you know when I hear something.

    Send me whatever pics you’d like. I’ll post them.

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  65. Now fish!>/b>.
    We’ll have to visit often just to see what’s up.
    My biggest problem is with outlook express. With Chrome, I can go up to the left corner and redirect away from the commercial. It’s just another step. Outlook express changes everything.

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  68. The book is By Jan Richardson….The Sanctuary of Women. The retreat was set up like summer camp with “talks”, break out sessions, free time to play volleyball and sit in the sun and other activities such as art. So it covered all of what the women here would want in a retreat. I left early after the second person told me everything was in order, thanked me for spending time in the kitchen, and told me I could go home. I cames home and Mr. P and I went to the Bay and talked…..that is where we have our most intimate conversations. It is a safe place for both of us.

    The priest’s wife led the retreat….She wanted to be a botanist, but her father told her she needed to do something where she could make money, so she became a forrester. She wanted to do that because she loved the outdoors, she spends most of her time in an office in front of a computer doing forrestry management. She was careful to say that it has been good for her family because it has allowed her husband to minister to others and ultimately when she looks at what she REALLY wanted it was to be a mother.

    I think that is ingrained in most women. We want to take care of people. We want to nurture, We want to be Mother to everyone. I know that is the role I fall into. This was difficult for me. It hit too close to home. We become dissatisfied with what we have. We see what others have and we decide that we deserve that also. I spent lots of time in the kitchen and I fed people which is my comfort zone.

    When youn think of “wanting women become wanton women” don’t think of it in the sexual context. Think of it as women do and do and do and then suddenly we see what someone else has and decide that we DESERVE better when we should follow the path in front of us.

    Again, I don’t understand it all and think I need to buy the book and dig a little deeper. It prompted me to share a few more things with Mr. P that I had not shared before …It was hard, it hurt, but it was good.

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  69. AJ, I sent a snow picture from our patio in the Atlanta area. I know, I know, everyone has said enough snow already. But this was a memorable snow in Atlanta. Not the sameole, sameole. This is THE snow that caused the biggest traffic tie up in our nation’s history. From the back yard photo you’d never guess what that small amount did. It wasn’t really the snow afterall, but the fact that everyone who was out and about in Atlanta all got sent home at the same time. That is what really was behind the event.

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  73. Kim, I agree with you about women having an ingrained tendency to nurture.

    It’s windy here, I took Cowboy to the dog park and then walked both dogs through the neighborhood. Earlier I stocked up on pet food and was thrilled to find that Natura, a brand I’d been using but suffered back-to-back recalls last year, was offering free bags of food for every bag purchased. Can’t beat that deal.

    And it’s a smart way also to get some customers back again, the recalls (for salmonella) had them out of commission for most of the last half of 2013, forcing many of their customers to go to other brands.

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  79. Donna- Not surprising on the Amish. Thought hey don’t evangelize, they have huge families (10-14 children), making it easy to get large numbers in the church. Even if half the children don’t join when they turn 18, you still get 5 or more members from each married couple.

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  80. Thanks for the birthday wishes for 5th Arrow yesterday, Donna and KarenO. 🙂 We went out to an Italian restaurant for his birthday. That skinny 10-year-old boy ate an adult-sized plate of spaghetti and meatballs (no more kid portions for him), PLUS he polished off 6th Arrow’s spaghetti that she couldn’t finish, and two unfinished parts of cheesecake, too. He’s getting a head start practicing to be a teenage boy. 😉

    Interesting discussion on women’s retreats today. I’ve never been to one. I retreat to the computer too much, and always have to battle selfish tendencies.

    Thursday (our media-free day) was quite healing for me, though. Rather difficult in the morning, however, but easier in the afternoon. I really got my rhythm around 4:00 pm, and felt great by the time I went to bed that night, having gotten a lot accomplished in the last 6-7 hours of the day.

    I think next Thursday (I plan to do this every week) will be easier from an earlier part of the day (I’m hoping anyway), but if it’s not, well, doing hard things is good for a person, too.

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  85. The last thing discussed while I was still there was that “food” Eve eating the fruit caused them to be exiled, is it no mistake that food, the Last Supper is the way that we are drawn back to God? There was discussion of going back to the family table as well.

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  86. Good morning! We have to be on the road by 11:30 to take L. to an appointment at 2:00. And, I’m texting this from my phone as there’s no wifi at the ranch, so I’ll be brief. I’ve enjoyed reading the conversations about Kim’s retreat. I’ve never been on one. However, I do think it’s important for everyone to learn to be content — the trite saying, “Bloom where you’re planted” comes to mind. It’s taken me a long time to learn to enjoy the present instead of worrying about the future or agonizing over the past.

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  87. I have never heard Blue Doll before. That must be her sisters with her The Carter Sisters used .to tour with Hank Snow. Anita made several records with Hank.

    Do an of you ladies remember when, if you bought a nice dress, you were “buying something for Sunday” ?

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  88. I know most of you don’t like the same genre of music that I do, but If you search around on the 12 selections following the song, you can get some great Hank Snow & Anita Carter music.
    Hank did his own guitar work. He was great with the flat pick.

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  89. Kim H — when I read the “warning” about wanting and wanton women I immediately connected it to affection, sex, etc. Most men like women who are as physically aggressive as themselves in a relationship but often the more “outgoing” (or permissive, easy etc) will be tempted by the grass elsewhere when a relationship sours or stagnates. And then the easy thing would be to go elsewhere other than repair the existing relationship. Of course, this description can apply to more than just sexuality and can also be seen as a metaphor.

    Food (and drink) was/is an expression of culture and community. Gatherings will almost instinctively focus on dinner. Outside of North America, societies know this and thus avoiding eating out and taking their time eating. Spending Christmas with my Polish in-laws, supper would last long into the evening on Christmas Eve. Usually it ended when it was time for midnight mass.

    North American society tends to be far more atomized and individualized — we work alone (assembly line, small business, classrooms) and eat alone — two experiences that should be the focal point of a community. I’ll now resist the temptation to give a lecture on capitalism and alienation.

    And AJ — I have no problems with my screen.

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  90. Chas–I certainly remember wearing your ‘Sunday best’. I have noticed that many children don’t seem to change into play clothes immediately after school like we did. We played hard and were hard on our clothes. We didn’t have closets full, so we appreciated what we had. If we didn’t, our mothers made sure we did! 😉 Of course, I had a lot more than my mother did. She is only a couple of years older than you. She has told me she had two dresses. One for everyday and one for more special occasions. They had a lot of sisters in one bedroom, but didn’t need much closet space!

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  91. Kathaleena – I think the reasons (at least a couple of them) for kids not changing into play clothes is that kids wear more casual clothes to school these days, & the fabrics are often easier to take care of, what used to be known as “wash ‘n wear”.

    As for “Sunday clothes”, I used to buy dresses & shoes especially for church. Now I go to a much more casual church, so I wear nice pants & nice tops that I wear at other times, too. I do not miss wearing pantyhose every Sunday. 🙂

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  92. I don’t remember the last time I wore pantyhose. I think it might have been around 2006 or 2007.
    I suffer from inflammation of the hair follicle on my legs. I have scars from scratching and hose made it SOOOOO much worse.

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  93. KarenO is right, I remember wearing dresses to elementary school and IMMEDIATELY changing into my jeans, a t-shirt & sneakers AS SOON AS I hit the door getting home. 🙂

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  97. Kim – There’s been a lot of good input on what you shared. My 2 cents: The fact that women often/usually do take on the main burden of taking care of people, I believe, is part of our God-given role.

    But often we take on things we weren’t called to take on, & then become resentful about it. And we even become resentful of the things we were called to take on, because we lose our focus on Whom we’re working for.

    I have had several times/situations in my life where I have had to adapt & change my own life to someone else’s needs. For instance, just in the past three years of Forrest’s life, my babysitting schedule has changed about four times (& is about to change again) due to Emily’s job or college schedule. If or when I feel resentful, or that “this isn’t fair” (like not having any help from the other side of Forrest’s family), I remind myself of Who really called me to do this, & submit myself once more to Him & His will.

    Ah, that sounds so nice & holy, doesn’t it? The truth is, God often has to drag me almost kicking & screaming to that point of submission & acceptance. So thankful for His patience with me!

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  98. On the clothing matter: Also, sadly, people in general don’t dress up for things we used to dress up for. We’ve probably all seen people in “nice” restaurants who look like they just came from a workout or something. A friend’s granddaughter was recently given a Fairytale Sweet 16 party, & she was dressed like a princess. But many of the attendees were in jeans, & I saw a photo of one guy in jeans & a hoodie.

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  102. Karen, when I was getting ready to meet my now hubby in person for the first time, we were scheduled to meet Friday morning (I cheated and met him Thursday night, but that’s another story), and I told him I’d never had a “real” date in my life, and I wanted to go out to a “real” restaurant that night. (It didn’t have to be a “night on the town,” but not fast food. It ended up being O’Charley’s.) I was in my forties and had never in my life had a date with a man who hadn’t specified that we were “just friends.” And this relationship seemed likely to lead to marriage. It was a big, big deal.

    A friend from church took me shopping for clothes a week or two before my man came for that first visit. She talked about what I’d wear Friday night, and I said I was wearing a dress. Thinking I didn’t understand current culture, she explained that I didn’t “have to” wear a dress, but nice pants would be good. I told her I knew I didn’t have to, but I wanted to. My best friend was with us, and she pushed a little too, understanding how important this was to me and that I was set on wearing a dress. We ended up choosing a long back dress with a hot pink sweater over it. I’d asked him to wear a jacket and tie. I figured I’d be the most “dressy” woman in the restaurant, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t a day to be casual.

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  103. An O’Charley’s date is really fancy. You remember I took Elvera to the Walgreens for lunch on our first meeting. It wasn’t a date, that came later. I just asked her out. But after that, we ate at Cornell Arms Buffet on Saturdays because my meals were “free”. That is, I worked in their stockroom and meals were my pay. They made out because I’m not a big eater.

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  104. Clothing: we have town clothes and farm clothes. Anybody seen in town in farm clothes is banned from town. Since I only go to town for church, yes, I have bought things for church. Just about fourteen years ago I bought a dress. And then a couple years back, I bought a skirt. But I almost always just wear pants and shirt and tennis shoes.

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  105. The reason I asked about clothes is that it occurred to me that I have several sets of clothes that I wear about four hours a week. I used to wear coat and tie to work and had to replace them often. Now, I’ll probably never wear out my “good” clothes.

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  108. Cheryl, that is a very good thing you did for your first date. Do you have opportunity to wear that dress for other occasions? Our family use to go downtown to see the Atlanta Symphony and some people would be dressed up for that. I enjoyed seeing all the various styles. Before I changed my business major to accounting I was going to major in fashion merchandising and markeging. I am still interested in beautiful clothing and must admit to not much appreciating the recent pairing I saw in Woman’s Day mag of a striped top with a floral print skirt.

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  112. Karen, good points on the clothes issue. I couldn’t wear slacks to school until I was in high school already and nobody would have been allowed in jeans. Our church is casual, too, so I dress that way. I would rather be in casual clothes. I never wear jeans to church, but many people do.

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  114. Ladies in my church generally wear nice slacks and tops or dresses to my church. I mostly do the slacks but occasionally wear a skirt. I like dresses , but they are not as practical considering I work with children’s Sunday School and might get a touch of paint, glitter or glue on my clothing. That special decor is just not ss stylish on a dress. 🙂 I had some black paint that got on my fingernail today and the other teacher thought I had smashed my finger.

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  115. Jeans are wonderful, but I also would never wear them to church. Being sort of a surfer church, though, we have folks who wear shorts and flip-flops. And others (the older non-surfing crowd) who wear suits and ties and dresses.

    And the rest of us who are in between — who wear stuff in between. 🙂

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  117. I’m with you, Mumsee, I detest jeans! I wear them once a year to the rodeo, but otherwise find them uncomfortable. I wear dresses frequently because I think they’re comfortable and flattering. Women in my neighborhood dress nicely, even if they’re just running to the store, so I dress better now than I have since becoming a stay at home mom.

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  118. I had a lot of skirts, too, but not so much anymore — anyone remember the ‘jumper’ look revival in the 1990s? 🙂 Love those, wore them with ,turtlenecks, tights & boots in the winter, with T-shirts and sandals or clogs in the summer.

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  120. Jean lovers unite!! I love ’em…they are comfortable and easy! boots, clogs, crocs, flip flops, tennis shoes….everything goes with them! Turtlenecks, sweaters, t shirts, flannels, blouses, shirts…how versatile can ya get!? 🙂

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  121. I don’t like jeans either. I finally got a couple pairs on college because some people told me I “stood out” too much by my choosing never to wear them, and I was having a hard enough time making any friends. After a few years, I realized that yes, I owned jeans, but I never ever wore them, so they simply took up space in my drawer, and further no one was “expecting” me to wear jeans anymore, so I threw them out. To me they’re uncomfortable and unfeminine.

    I’ve worn the black dress a couple other times, including the night we got engaged (that was in a fancy restaurant I’ve only been to that one time). I like dressing up, but get few chances anymore. In Chicago I attended at least three Christmas parties a year, in Nashville two, in Indiana my first two years one, and this year none. Chances to wear “fancy” are limited to evening dates at an actual restaurant, and those are rare.

    My husband wore himself out last week doing snow removal (including denying the dog access to her route up and over the fence) and needs to do less this week. If the weather permits, we plan to go on an eagle watch Saturday, and I may well suggest that we consider that our valentine date. (Not that we “have to” have a valentine date, but it’s nice to do so.)

    Meanwhile, tonight I’m making my annual valentines. I’ve been making them for more than a month, but now I’m actually creating the cards. I’m not sure my count this year, but I send them to all my younger nieces (under 18) and all the girls at church (and my Nashville church) who are high school age or younger, and also to a few girlfriends. But pretty much everyone who got onto my list stays on it, even if she “ages out,” so the list gets a little longer every year. Somewhere between 30 and 40, and each year I make them a different way. This year it’s parchment, which is fairly time consuming, so I got an early start on them. But I’m made 30 parchment hearts and now I’m making the cards, and in the next day or two I’ll have to figure out if I have enough. (I have some hearts I’ve started but not finished, standing on reserve if I need them.)

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  122. Even a couple of my old jumpers and skirts were denim … I’m with nancyjill.

    Cheryl, what a wonderful personal gesture to send out the Valentines. I have a few “store-bought” ones this year I need to send out.

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  125. I love skirts and the weather here is perfect for wearing them. I do hate nylons.
    I wear comfortable skirts for traveling on those long flights. However, these days, when wearing a skirt, you can expect to be patted down as you go through security.
    I did find some non denim jeans that I wear when in the states and its cold. The fabric is slightly stretchy and it makes them very comfortable.
    Yup, Donna, I still have those jumpers and the denim skirts.

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